This application claims the priority of Japanese Patent Application No. 10-190226 filed on Jul. 6, 1998 which is incorporated herein by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an imaging element assembly unit for an endoscope, and more particularly, it relates to an assembly structure of an imaging element in which it is possible to make the diameter of the tip portion where the imaging element is arranged thinner.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In FIG. 8, one example (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 5-15489) of the configuration of a conventional imaging element assembly body to try to make the diameter of the tip portion of an electronic endoscope thinner is shown. In FIG. 8, a package 2 to which a CCD 1 as a solid imaging element is connected and which also does the job of a circuit board has a side portion thereof cut off to be in an open state. To this package 2, a CCD 1 is connected by a bonding wire 3, and after that, a cover glass 4 is adhered onto the upper surface of the package by adhesives or the like, and further, similar adhesives or the like are also filled up in the side portion, and the interior of this package 2 is kept in an airtight state.
According to the configuration like this, the side portion of a conventionally used complete box-like package is cut off, and therefore the width of the imaging element assembly body can be made smaller, and it is possible to make the diameter of the tip portion thinner by arranging the longitudinal direction of this package 2, for example, along an endoscope axis 100. Furthermore, in the package 2, the interior has an airtight structure, and therefore, the degradation of a color filter formed on the imaging surface of the CCD 1 can be restrained, and in the meantime, the protection of a micro lens arranged on this color filter or the like becomes possible.
However, in the configuration using the above package 2, it is difficult to further make the diameter thinner, and if it is possible to further make the diameter thinner by suitably changing the structure of an imaging element or a circuit board at the imaging element assembly part like this, an assembly unit with a high use value can be obtained.
The present invention is made due to the above problems, and it is an object thereof to provide an imaging element assembly body for an endoscope in which it can easily be promoted to make the diameter of the tip portion of an endoscope thinner by changing the configuration of a circuit board in relation to an imaging element.